President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in American history once he takes office, an effort a majority of Americans support, according to polling.
On Monday, Trump confirmed his plan to declare a national emergency over the illegal immigration crisis and use the U.S. military to assist in his deportation plan.
“TRUE!!!” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social, responding to a post from Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton claiming the Trump administration “will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
Democrat governors and mayors have already said they plan to resist Trump's effort, but that won't be the only pushback he faces. The ACLU is suing the government for information about the current state of the deportation system so they can better prepare for a fight once Trump takes office.
Civil-liberties lawyers alarmed by President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to launch mass deportations of undocumented immigrants sued the federal government Monday for information about how authorities might quickly remove people from the United States.
Lawyers said the information is urgent because of Trump’s election victory this month and his upcoming inauguration on Jan. 20. Advocates for immigrants have accused ICE and its contractors of treating migrants harshly and holding them in inhumane conditions.
“Despite the critical role these flights play in the removal system — in many instances, serving as the mechanism for deportation — ICE Air remains shrouded in secrecy,” said the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California. “This secrecy has masked responsibility for serious abuses and danger on ICE Air flights.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to increase deportations starting on “day one” of his administration, though he has provided few details about how he would execute that plan. The comments sent advocates for immigrants scrambling for details about the existing state of the deportation system so that they could protect immigrants and inform U.S. taxpayers about its cost. (The Washington Post)
The incoming administration appears unfazed by the challenges ahead.
In a statement, Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition team, said the president-elect intends to “marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families.”